Content deleted Content added
m →Grammar |
m →Semantics: MOS:LQ + MOS:QWQ |
||
Line 50:
==Semantics==
* '''Misconception:''' ''"Some commonly used words are not
Common examples of words described as "not real" include "funnest", "impactful", and "mentee",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/is-funnest-a-word.aspx|title=Is "Funnest" a Word?|first=Mignon|last=Fogarty|date=2008-09-12|access-date=2012-09-25|archive-date=2014-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427083003/http://bridgingtheunbridgeable.com/2012/03/21/thusly-is-not-a-word-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volokh.com/posts/1187887242.shtml|title=Is Not A Word|first=Eugene|last=Vokloh|date=2007-08-23|access-date=2012-09-25}}</ref> all of which are in common use, appear in numerous dictionaries as English words,<ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Conversate"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Conversate"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Conversate".</ref><ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Funnest"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Fun" [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Funnest"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Funnest"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Funnest".</ref><ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Impactful"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Impactful"; [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Impactful"; [[#Collins|Collins Dictionaries]]. "Impactful"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Impactful".</ref><ref>[[#FreeDictionary|Free Dictionary]]. "Mentee"; [[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Mentee"; [[#YourDictionary|YourDictionary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Mentee"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Vocabulary.com|Vocabulary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Collins|Collins Dictionaries]]. "Mentee"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Mentee".</ref> and follow standard rules for constructing English words from [[Morpheme|morphemes]]. Many linguists follow a [[linguistic description|descriptive]] approach to language, where some usages are labeled merely nonstandard, not improper or incorrect.
* '''Misconception:''' ''""Inflammable" can only mean
The word "inflammable" can be derived by two different constructions, both following standard rules of English grammar: appending the suffix ''-able'' to the word ''inflame'' creates a word meaning "able to be inflamed", while adding the prefix ''in-'' to the word ''flammable'' creates a word meaning "not flammable". Thus "inflammable" is an [[auto-antonym]], a word that can be its own antonym, depending on context. Because of the risk of confusion, style guides sometimes recommend using the unambiguous terms "flammable" and "not flammable".<ref>[[#Bri09|Brians 2009]]. p. 124.</ref>
* '''Misconception:''' ''"It is incorrect to use
It is sometimes claimed that "nauseous" means "causing nausea" (nauseating), not suffering from it (nauseated). This prescription is contradicted by vast evidence from English usage, and Merriam-Webster finds no source for the rule before a published letter by a physician, Deborah Leary, in 1949.<ref>[[#MW1995|Merriam-Webster 1995]]. p. 652.</ref>
* '''Misconception:''' ''"It is incorrect to use
It is true that the adjective "healthful" has been pushed out in favor of "healthy" in recent times.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 April 2011 |title=Healthful vs healthy |url=http://grammarist.com/usage/healthful-healthy/ |access-date=2013-06-11 |work=Grammarist}}</ref> But the distinction between the words dates only to the 19th century. Before that, the words were used interchangeably; some examples date to the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Coner |first1=Patricia |last2=Kellerman |first2=Stewart |date=2012-02-24 |title=Healthy choices |url=http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/02/healthy-healthful.html |access-date=2013-06-11 |work=Grammarphobia Blog}}</ref> The use of "healthful" in place of "healthy" is now regarded as unusual enough that it may be considered [[Hypercorrection|hypercorrected]].<ref>[[#Bri09|Brians 2009]]. p. 108.</ref>
| |||